This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
A hip joint comprises a socket or acetabulum and a femoral head or ball received in the acetabulum. The hip joint, therefore, is a ball and socket joint that provides universal motion. Various diseases, such as osteoarthritis, may attack the hip joint. When this occurs, it may be necessary to utilize an appropriate hip joint prosthesis to replace the femoral head and the acetabulum. This may also be necessary in other circumstances, such as, for example, certain hip joint fractures.
Deterioration of the acetabulum requires that an acetabular cup be mounted in the acetabulum to provide a socket for slidably receiving the prosthetic femoral head. In general, the acetabular cup is cemented in the acetabulum or secured in the acetabulum by other means. Regardless, the acetabular cup should be securely mounted within the acetabulum to ensure proper alignment and fixation of the acetabular cup. If it is not and misalignment of undesired movement occurs, additional surgery may be required to correct the problem.